Linkin Park - By Myself Lyrics Meaning

I think we all have interpretations according to personal experiences. I've always loved this song, but I just really listened to the lyrics for the first time in a good 7 years.

It's about social pressure.

First verse he basically says

How do I ignore all this pressure to fit in, do I blindly just interact according to how I feel?, Do I swallow my pride and compromise myself to try to fit in and give in to the thought losing my indivuality

Second Verse

Do I just allow them to take it from me (individuality) Or do I stop them before its all gone? Do I trust the people, despite knowing that some of them might feel differently about me than how they openly appear to be and possibly end up getting hurt later on? Or do I just avoid this pressure and just keep to myself? Since if you don't conform to the group mentality, your just gonna end up a loner.

Third Verse

I can't hold on to myself with all this pressure. I interact and say the right things, but I begin to lose myself. Its working, I have this "personality" I put on that I know people love, but again I'm just reminded of how I've lost myself to fit in

Chorus

And its my fault, I can't even depend on myself to hold onto to my own personality. I'm beginning to lose the battle, the social pressure is too much to take. The more I try to hold on, the more paranoid I get that the people won't accept me for the real me.

Verse 4

If I turn my back on them, I'll be all alone. But to just follow the crowd just for the sake of fitting in doesn't make sense. If I just swallow my pride, and conform to fit in, they'll make sure that I'll have none of my indivuality left.

Verse 5 basically the same as verse 3

Verse 6

How have I lost so much of myself. I'm getting scared of becoming just one of them. And how will I know that the new me is a problem, when I've lost the ability to think for myself, and I just listen to whatever you tell me in order to fit in?

Verse 7

I'm so deep into it that no matter how hard I try to convince myself that compromising who I am is wrong, I've conformed to this new personality that isn't me but I know you all know and love it. I've completely lost who I was, and for the sake of fitting in, I've changed myself to the point that I'm just one of you guys. I'm stuck this way.